Reflections of China: A Travel Diary

Exactly two weeks ago, I embarked on a five-month backpacking journey, just me and a big ol’ backpack.

My adventures began in Ningbo, China, an old port city just south of Shanghai, where my good friends, Jared and Beanke, live.

Friends Like These

I’d be remiss to not give a shout-out to these lovely humans. I met both of them in Korea. Jared worked at my hagwon, and he became a sort of guiding spirit for me after he observed an online class I taught. He told me that I’m a great teacher and pushed me to get my teaching license and pursue a career in international schools, which is exactly what I ended up doing. He and Beanke are wonderful leaders, and if I had to choose what type of food fits their personality, it’d be butter because they’re versatile people who go with anything and everything, and yet, the bad stuff just doesn’t seem to stick to them. No matter how bad the situation, they let it slide and laugh it off.

Their city, Ningbo, was one of the first ports opened to the west, and you can see the city has done quite well for itself, so modern and beautiful.

Minor Celebrity Status

My favorite place in Ningbo was Moon Lake Park, hands-down. It was thoughtfully designed in the middle of the city, beautiful architecture woven into nature.

I’d heard stories of Westerners being stopped for pictures in China before, and I thought that was either a thing of the past or just a countryside thing, but nope. In Moon Lake Park, Beanke and I stopped for a moment to send some pictures, and a group of Chinese people immediately flocked to us and took turns posing for photos with us. Now, our faces are probably forever commemorated in WeChat group chats. #celebritylife

What is China Like?

Some things that stuck out to me about China:

People: Coming from Korea, where politeness is built into the culture, along with a tendency to keep to yourself and not mind others, Chinese people come off to me as warm and open. It seemed that if I made eye contact and said a hello, it indicated an opening for conversation.

Culture: Deliveries were fast and convenient! Fruit, vegetables, dairy, and bread were quite cheap! In general, everything is done on your phone, particularly payments. As long as you’ve got AliPay or WeChat set up, you never have to carry around a wallet. VPNs are illegal, but this is rarely enforced (thankfully, because I can’t imagine how foreigners would be able to live in China without open access to sites like Google Suite); if only I had a yuan for every time I flipped on and off my VPN to use the myriad of American, Korean, and Chinese apps on my phone. And because you basically live on your phone, it’s very easy to find power bank rental stations, so you’re not SOL if your battery dies.

China is known infamously for its pollution, and this is simply a fact of life there. I masked up every day, except for the two fair days when we finally got a breather. The pollution sits on your tongue and roof of your mouth and settles into your throat and lungs. I was shocked that most people didn’t wear masks, even in Shanghai, when the AQI was hovering above and around 200.

I expected to see only Chinese brands and companies during my visit, if I’d made that bet, I would’ve lost all the yuan I earned from my VPN flips. There’s a variety of international brands all around China, including American brands KFC, Chili’s, Pizza Hut, and 7-Eleven (which, to be fair, rules the whole entire world). Other big-name brands like Uniqlo and Sephora were easy enough to find.

Food: Delicious! There are tons of Chinese and Western cuisines to be had. Vegetarianism is not common in China, but it was still easy to eat, especially considering how cheap groceries are! And there were several vegetarian Chinese restaurants in Shanghai, including a couple just outside Yu Garden.

A Day in Shanghai

I had just one day in Shanghai on this trip, and I certainly should’ve planned more time in China. But even with this week-long sampling, I got a big taste. (And I’ll be back!!)

With just one day in a city, the best thing to do is narrow your list down to one or two must-sees. For me, that was Yu Garden and The Bund.

Yu Garden was built by a son for his aging father long ago. It’s an intricate, maze-y landscape with gorgeous gardens and thoughtfully designed buildings and gates. It was a calming scene, even despite the crowds and tour groups who were also meandering the premises. If you get the chance to visit Yu Garden, I highly recommend going early in the morning to avoid the crowds and have the whole place to yourself. (Spoiler alert: This would be my advice for every single touristy spot in the whole world ever.)

I’ve been told by a couple people that Shanghai isn’t “real China,” in large part due to its history and international influences. There are certainly older areas and buildings in China. I particularly love the Chinese architectural style and the old-city feeling of the area around Yu Garden, even if it isn’t actually “old”.

In the evening, I returned to the city to meet with my old DYB friend, Jamie, and to go out on the town again. We walked through the very touristy shopping district of Nanjing Road up to The Bund, the waterscape/cityscape combo that brilliantly lights up at night.

Shanghai Disneyland!!

I can officially say that I’ve now been to every Disney resort in the world!!

When Shanghai Disneyland (SDL) was built, there was an agreement made between Disney and the Chinese government that the resort would be distinctly Chinese. And so it is! You can find flavors of Chinese culture in the food, architecture, shows, etc. Near the castle, there’s a little alley that features all the animals of the Chinese Zodiac, represented by various Disney characters (rabbit = Thumper, dragon = Mushu, snake = Kaa, etc.).

One of the things that struck me the most was how Disneyfied Guests were at SDL. Tokyo Disneyland has a reputation for having Guests decked-out in the cutest Disney merch, but I’d put SDL second on the list.

Judy Hopps > Mickey Mouse

When you enter the park, the topiary that greets you (where the Main Street train station would be, if there were one) is Judy Hopps. When you reach The Hub in front of the castle, you will find another topiary with Judy and Nick. A giant Zootopia-themed donut spins around, just behind the statue of Walt and Mickey. Behind Fantasyland is a new Zootopia-themed land that’s reminiscent of a grown-up Toon Town, with a new ride called Zootopia: Hot Pursuit, which I’d argue is one of the best modern Disney rides (great storytelling, fun ride tech, thoughtful build-up of excitement). Around the park, shows feature Judy Hopps, including a Zootopia motorcade that precedes the 3 o’clock parade. I think I listened to “Try Everything” a minimum of 2,235 times that day.

A Disney lesson: Give the people what they want. If someone comes into your business with a certain expectation or a must-do, give them every opportunity to fulfill that need.

Here are some photos from the Zootopia-themed land:

And for you Disney lovers, here's a HUGE collage of everything I loved at SDL:

You read and hear so many things about China, and it can be hard to know what to believe. I absolutely went in with my own preconceptions, many of which were proven wrong, and many of which were validated. I hope that these photos and this little travelogue paint a picture with a little more context, a little more reality.

There are those among us who pedal fear and doubt, which creates ignorance or hatred and creates divides between us. I won’t speak to political factors here, as this is just a personal blog that focuses on daily life. And as I tell my students time and time again, a government is not representative of all its people. People are people.

I won’t understate my good fortune to be able to travel and be amongst so many people. I am so grateful! Thank you for joining me on these travels. See you next time!